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IY71 






SCHOOL COMMITTEE. 



REPORT 



COMMITTEE 



EYENIN"G SCHOOLS. 




BOSTON: 
ALFRED MUDGE & SON, PRINTERS, 34 SCHOOL STREET. 

1871. 






In School Committee, May 9, 1871. 

YoTED : That the Committee on Evening Schools have leave 
to report in print. 

Attest : 

BARNARD CAPEN, 

Secretary. 



lAY 21 me 

0. ofO. 



In School Committee, June 13th, 1871. 

The Committee on Evening Schools beg leave to report. 

During the winter the following schools have been in opera- 
tion, and their statistical report attached, from October, 1870, to 
April, 1871, is here given: — 



SCHOOLS. 


O ^ 

s s 


— t- 


c '5) 


Average 
Attendance. 


s 1 

> ■- 


o 

£§-« 






Males 


Fern. 


Total. 




N. Bennet street 


112 


480 


126 


83 




83 


8.6 


10 




Chambers-street Chapel . . . 


105 


450 


206 


73 


60 


133 


8.5 


12 




Anderson street 


121 


380 


203 


91 


38 


129 


9.6 


12 


colored. 


Warrenton-street Chapel . . 


71 


373 


191 


47 


51 


98 


8.2 


12 




Harrison Avenue 


120 


537 


233 


75 


46 


121 


11.0 


11 




South Boston 


118 


382 


146 


105 




105 


9.1 


12 






8-4 


544 


143 


69 


23 


92 


11.4 


9 




Old Franklin School .... 


113 


440 


91 


53 


9 


62 


7.0 


10 




1049 Washington street . . . 


86 


115 


73 


33 


31 


64 


4.2 


10 


colored. 


Totals 


930 


3691 


1412 


629 


258 


887 


77.6 


10 
av. 





These schools have generally been very satisfactory, running 
smoothly and quietly. Most of the principals and teachers 
were in the same places last year, and thoroughly understand 
their work — which in some respects has been less diflacult. 
The pupils have been attentive and diligent, with increased 
attendance. Two of the schools only have been held in build- 
ings utterly unfit, — namely, the Cabot St. school, in a Bath 
House, and the school at 1049 Washington street. Nest winter 
better accommodations will be available, and these schools will 
improve. 



These schools when compared with those of last year show 
a great increase in 'numbers — but especially in attendance. 

In the nine schools the total number of pupils last year, was 
3,180; this year, 3,691 ; the average attendance last year was 
807; this year, 1,412; an increase, in thfe total number, of six- 
teen per cent, and in the attendance, of seventy-five per cent. 

These branches have been taught : Reading, Spelling, Writing, 
Arithmetic and Geography. 

HIGH EVENING SCHOOL. 



1870—1871. 



November, 1870 . 
December, 1870 . 
January, 1871 . . 
February, " . . 
March, ■' . . 

Totals . . 

Averages 



220 
300 
326 
255 
290 



Average 
Attendance. 



Males 



112 

82 
82 
64 
57 



397 



Fern. 



102 
72 
44 



854 



70 



150 
180 
184 
136 
101 



<|,a 



158 



31.6 



The Evening High School hag occupied the old Normal School- 
house in Mason street, enjoyed all the advantages offered by 
that building, and its success has been striking and gratifying. 

The following branches have been taught : — 

Penmanship — (In connection with, 
and subsidiary to Book-keeping,) 
3 classes, 2 teachers and princi- 
pal, . .... 4 hours a week, pupils 22 

Book-keeping — 3 classes^ 2 teachers 9 " *' " 129 



Arithmetic and Commercial Arithme- 
tic — 2 classes, 2 teachers 4 hours a week, pupils 75 
Algebra — 2 classes, of which one is 

advanced, 2 t'ch'rs " " " 24 

Geome^rt/—! class, 1 " 3 " " " 20 

Nat. Fhilosophy —I c\siS8, 1 " 3 " « " 14 

Physiology — 1 class, 1 " 2 " " " 23 

Gmmmar— 2 classes, 2 « 4 " " " 52 

English Literature — 1 class, 1 " 2 " " " 34 

Latin — 1 class, 1 " 3 " " " 22 

German — 1 class, 1 " 2 " " " 29 

jPrewcA — 5 classes, 2 « 14 " '' « 185 

The Committee are much pleased with the manner the above 
studies have been taught, and the methods pursued by the in- 
structors to awaken the interest of their pupils, and stimulate 
them in their progress. 

The week's programme has been as follows : — 
Monday and Friday. Hour 7 — 8. Hour 8 — 9. 

Mr. Nichols, Penmanship, French, adv. class. 

Mr. Owen, Book-keeping, Book-keeping. 

Mr. Travis, Latin, Nat. Philosophy. 

Mr. Moriarty, Geometry, Book-keeping. 

Mr. Jansen, French, French. 

Wednesday is the same as Monday, with this exception, that 
Mr. Nichols exchanges classes with Mr. Jansen, between the 
hours of 8 and 9 ; Mr. Jansen taking the French, and Mr. 
Nichols giving that hour to Penmanship. 
Tuesday and Thursday. Hour 7 — 8. Hour 8 — 9. 

Mr. Owen, Algebra, Arithmetic. 

Mr. Nichols, Arithmetic, Algebra. 

Mr. Travis, Grammar and English Literature, Physiology. 

Mr. Moriarty, Penmanship and Book-keeping Grammar, 
for beginners, 
Mr. Jansen, French, German. 



6 

The Principals, Messrs. Anderson and Woolson, have taken 
alternate months of personal superintendence, so necessary in 
so large a school, with such an extended field of study. They 
have kept the registers, assigned the hours of the different 
studies and teachers, and received and examined each applicant, 
before admission to the school vsi^as allowed, —^a certain amount 
of elementary knowledge being required ; and to their endeavors 
the school owes much of its success. 

Your Committee submit, herewith, the reports of the super- 
intendents and of the teachers. 



REPORT OF THE TEACHERS. 

To Messrs. Andeeson and Woolson : 

Gentlemen, — The class in Geometry comprised twenty niem- 
bers including three ladies. We went through three books of 
Legendre and the principal theorems of the fourth book, includ- 
ing the proposition of Pythagoras, and the properties of similar 
triangles ; acquired also some familiarity with the tables of 
logarithms, logarithmic sines, etc., demonstrated the simpler trig- 
onometrical formulae, and exhibited their application to the 
solution of right-angled triangles. It is worthy of mention that 
part of the class wrote the demonstrations and studied the sub- 
ject successfully from their notes. 

A difference of attainments made it expedient to divide the 
class, but the members of the second division by learning thor- 
oughly their own part of the subject, were able to follow under- 
standingly the work of the advanced portion of the class. I 
also had charge of a class in book-keeping, during the second 
hour of each Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening, the class 
in geometry occupying the first hour. In Book-keeping we went 
through one set of accounts by single entry, and four sets by 



double entry. The class numbered forty-two (42), including 
twelve ladies, nearly one-half belonging at the close of the term, 
having been constant and attentive students from the beginning. 

Tuesday and Thursday evenings my time was divided be- 
tween book-keeping and grammar. The class in book-keeping 
occupied the first hour, and was of recent organization, that hour 
having previously been devoted to special instruction in various 
branches. This class numbered sixteen, eleven ladies and five 
gentlemen. The progress of the class was very good, some of 
the ladies, particularly, showing an especial aptitude in under- 
standing the subject. 

The class in grammar occupied the second hour, and num- 
bered twenty members, the ladies and gentlemen being equally 
divided. 

The instruction was oral, but most of the class used note- 
books. For parsing we made use of Sargent's Readers. 

Instruction was given in punctuation and letter-writing, and 
compositions written in the form of letters during school hours 
were examined and corrected out of school. 

For a short period that I was away, my classes were under 
the excellent management of Mr. L. H. Grandgent of the English 
High School. 

The progress of my scholars was, 1 believe, in all respects 
satisfactory to them as it was to me, unless it be that their 
eagerness led them to desire a greater result than it is within 
the scope of limited time and average faculties to accomplish. 
If I may instance Geometry as a study in which a thorough 
understanding of one part is necessary to an equally thorough 
understanding of another, — it was pleasant to have the class 
exhibit their grasp of the subject by their ability to produce orig- 
inal and ingenious demonstrations. 

W. H. MORIARTY. 



8 



To Messrs. Andeeson and Woolson: 

What has been done in my department of the Evening High 
School the past winter : — 

LATIN. 

First division, — Yirgil : Books IV. V. and VI. to the six hun- 
dred and seventy-fifth line. Instruction was mostly devoted to 
securing an accurate translation of the author into good English. 
Some attention has been given to scanning, proving the hexa- 
meter verse, marking the caesura and figures of Prosody. 

The second division began with D'Arcy W. .Thompson's 
" Ladder to Latin " as a guide. The sentence " Longa est via " 
was put upon the black-board, pronounced, and translated in 
various ways, as — a road is long ; the road is long — it is a 
long road, — the road is a long one, etc. 

After spending two evenings upon this, another sentence 
was treated in a similar manner, and so we proceeded until the 
five declensions, the declension of pronouns and adjectives, and 
the irregular verb sum, with the four conjugations, became famil- 
iar. Alist of the most common prepositions and conjunctions was 
given to the xslass, and committed to memory. The division then 
took Andrews' Latin Reader, translated thirteen pages of simple 
sentences of two, three and several words, and analyzed them. 
They also translated ten of JS sop's Latin Fables, ten para- 
graphs of Latin Biography, ten of Mythology, ten of Epitome 
of Roman history, and ten paragraphs of Nations of Antiquity, — 
in all equivalent to twenty-five pages of prose Latin. The 
class numbered twenty-two. The interest was strong and the 
attendance good, — two members of the class were not absent 
from a single exercise during the entire winter. 

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 

Matter, Specific Gravity, with experiments on gold and glass. 



9 

before the class. Laws of Motion, Elements of Machinery, 
Materials for Architectural purposes. Hydrostatics and Hy- 
draulics, Pneumatics without experiments, as apparatus was 
wanting. Acoustics, Heat, with particular attention to ventila- 
tion. Clouds, rain, snow, hail and electricity. 

Text-book used by the class, — Wells. 

The Class numbered forteen. 

PHYSIOLOGY. • 

By familiar lectures from 8 to 9 Tuesday and Thursday evea- 
ings, on the following topics : — 

1. Anatomy, physiology of the bones and teeth. 

2. The muscles and exercise. 

3. Anatomy and physiology of the respiratory organs. 

4. " " « " circulatory " 

5. " " " " digestive " 

6. Secretion and absorption : colds. 

7. The vocal organs. 

8. Organs of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. 

9. Means of preserving physical and mental health. 

1 0. Causes and forms of insanity. 

11. Laws of health, necessity of bathing, exercise and tern- , 
perance. 

12. The temperaments. 

The class numbered twenty-three. Sources drawn from, — 
Cutler, Hitchcock, Huxley, and Youmans, experience and obser- 
vation. 

ENGLISH LITERATURE. 

Semi-weekly from 7 to 8. 
• A careful reading, and a historical and etymological examina- 
tion of the following pieces : — 

1. Croly's Seventh Plague of Egypt. 

2. The parts of speech from Bossut's French Grammar. 



10 

3. The Rothschilds, anonymous. 

4. Schiller's William Telh 

5. Emerson's Character of Napoleon Bonaparte. 

6. Selections from Johnson's Rasselas. 

7. Osborne's Scenery of the Lower Mississippi. 

8. The Maid of Orleans, from the French. 

9. Bancroft's Pioneers of Kentucky. 

10. The Dream of Socrates, from the German. 
'll. Presence of Mind, Chambers. 

12. The Three Readers, Madam Vinefc. 

13. Macaulay's Lay of Horatius. 

14. « Battle of Laie Regillus. 

15. " Lay of Virginia. 

16. Essay on Warren Hastings, Macaulay. 

18. Selection from History of England, Macaulay. 

1 8. Some account of Lord Bacon, with selections from his 
essays on truth, marriage and single life, riches, beauty and 
anger ; with his fable of the Sirens and the explanation. 

19. Some account of Shakspeare, with selections from Ham- 
let and Macbeth. 

20. Two familiar lectures on letter- writing, with selections 
from the correspondence of Dr. Todd, Dr. Franklin, Rufus Choate 
and Daniel Webster. 

The class in English Literature numbered thirty-four. 

CHARLES B. TRAVIS. 
Boston, April 5, 1871. 



Messrs. Anderson and Woolson: — 

Boston, April 10, 1871. 

1. Advanced French class (mostly lady teachers), 
average attendance each evening, 29 pupils. 

2. Advanced French class, average attendance, 19 " 



11 

3. Beginners French class, average attendance, 37 pupils. 
(This class was afterwards divided into two classes.) 

4. German class (beginners), average attendance, 29 " 

The average attendance for the rest of January and for the 
first half of February may be about the same, but after that time 
the number of pupils dropped off more and more, so that only 
the half number of pupils can be accounted for, the last month. 

As to the accomplishments of the different classes under my 
instruction, I have to state : — 

1. The advanced French classes. 
Grammatical Instruction. 

Reading and translation (the French comedy "La poudre 
aux yeux," by Labidu and Mortin.) 

Writing — translation from English into French, and dictates 
from time to time lectures and readings of French authors in 
prose and poetry. 

2. Beginners French class. 
The Pronunciation. 

Gustav Chouquet's " First Lessons in learning French," until 
the 13th lesson and the reading lessons (v. part) from page 121 
-136. 

Besides this, tlie auxiliary verbs, the regular and reflected 
verbs. 

Translation from English into French. 

3. German class {beginners). 
Pronunciation, reading and writing German. 

Prof. Otto's " Beginning German," the first forty-six exercises. 
"Reading lessons from page li4-158. 
Declensions of nouns and adjectives. 
The auxiliary verbs and regular verbs. 
Translation from English into German. 



12 

In the hope that this report may be sufficient for you, I remain, 
dear sir, 

Your obedt. servant, 

CARL JANSEN. 



Boston, April 10, 1871. 
Messrs. Anderson and Woolson : — 

Gentlemen: In the department of the Evening High School 
which has been in my charge during the past winter, there have 
been two divisions in Book-Keeping, a class in Commercial 
Arithmetic, and a class in Algebra. 

Each of the divisions in Book-Keeping has contained about 
forty-five pupils at any one time, the average attendance being 
about thirty-five, and has had instruction three hours per week. 
The instruction has been entirely oral, the entries having been 
written out by the classes from dictation according to forms 
illustrated on the board, and we have gone over an amount fully 
equal to, if not exceeding, the whole of "Hitchcock's New 
Method." 

The class in Commercial Arithmetic has had an average at- 
tendance of about twenty for two hours per week, the number 
belonging to the class at any one time being about thirty. 

The Algebra class has had an average attendance of about 
ten, out of a whole number of about fifteen, for two hours per 
week, and has been over the first fourteen sections of Sherwin's 
Elementary Algebra. 

Yours very truly, 

ROSCOE P. OWEN. 



13 



Messrs. Anderson and Woolson: — 

Gentlemen: — The classes under my care at the Evening 
High School during the past winter have been designated as 
follows. A class in " elementary French" ; a class in '' ad- 
vanced French ; a class in " advanced algebra," and a class in 
"commercial arithmetic." The elementary French class has 
had three recitations a week — has learned the "regular verbs," 
and been through the first and second parts of " Chouquet's 
first lessons in French" ; they have acquired a very respect- 
able pronunciation, and their progress has been in every way 
satisfactory : highest number 66, average about 43. The ad- 
vanced class has had three recitations per week ; has been through 
twenty- one lessons in Otto's French grammar; has read the 
whole of " Contes Biographiques," — about one hundred pages 
of French prose : highest number 34, average about 20. The 
advanced algebra class has been through twenty -five sections of 
Sherwin's Algebra (equations containing three or more unknown 
quantities): highest number 12, average 8. 

The class in Arithmetic has studied thoroughly vulgar 
fractions, and interest; they have a good worKing knowledge 
of fractions, and have had much practice in reckoning the inter- 
est and discount on different kinds of notes and different 
rates ; partial payments, etc. : highest number 45, average 30. 

The attendance of all the classes has been very good, and the 
progress even better than could be reasonably expected. 
Yours respectfully, 

Wx\I. NICHOLS, Jr. 



14 

The Superintendents offer the following suggestions: — 

Boston, April 10, 1871. 
Dr. Hall Curtis : 

Dear Sir : The reports of the teachers in the Evening High 
School; herewith transmitted, give, somewhat in detail, the re- 
sults of their labors for the past season. 

There has been a large increase in members over the pre- 
vious year, averaging over thirty pupils to a teacher. During 
the next season there will undoubtedly be a further gain in 
attendance. Certain kinds of knowledge connected with the 
higher mathematics, more especially with elementary geometry, 
can be made of great practical importance to the mechanics of 
the city, and, therefore, the superintendents suggest that they be 
allowed to prepare and print, before the next session opens, a 
circular, for distribution in the shops of the different trades, 
stating in detail what they propose to do for mechanics. By 
way of experiment the superintendents desire permission to 
invite gentlemen, distinguished in literature and science, to give 
occasional lectures to the school, without expense to the city 
for the present. One or two such lectures per week might be 
given, beginning, say, at quarter of nine o'clock and ending at 
half-past nine o'clock. In this way but little of the time 
devoted to recitations will be used. 

Very truly. 

Your obt. servants, 

L. W. ANDERSON, 
MOSES WOOLSON. 

The cost of the Evening High School from the 
time it began, October, 1870, to its close in 
April, 1871, was $3,760.28 



15 

Total expense for the Evening Schools during 
the financial year 1870-1871, May 1st, 1870; 
April 30, 1871, inclusive $15,760.93 

In conclusion, the Committee wish to express their entire sat- 
isfaction with the result of the past winter. The increase in 
numbers, and the more constant attendance of the pupils, show 
the interest the public feels in the opportunity the city offers j 
and they think they are justified in expecting next year still 
greater results. 

HALL CURTIS, Chairman. 
RICHARD M. INGALLS, 
IRA ALLEN, 
GEO. D. RICKER, 
JOHN S. H. FOGG, 
EBEN R. FROST, 
WILLIAM H. BALDWIN. 



iiRRARY OF CONGRESS 

iiiiiii*^^ , 

029 930 37i 5 



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